By Nathan Davis –
14 April 2023 –
Over and over again I see people asking on Facebook and other groups online about cellular trail cameras. What is a good budget cell camera? What camera works best in Canada? A quick glance through the comment sections of these posts and it becomes very apparent what the preferred choice is for Canadians. Tactacam. You guys are overwhelmingly in favour of the Reveal line of cameras and for good reason. For those interested, this article has been summarized in a video published to our YouTube channel.
This article is not written to convince you to buy a Tactacam Reveal camera but simply to outline considerations when purchasing one, and explain exactly how to use one here in Canada.
Okay first things first, what are your options?
Tactacam has made some other cameras in the past but their current offering of 2 cameras includes the;
Tactacam Reveal X Gen 2.0; and
Tactacam Reveal X-Pro
The cheapest place I could find either of them in Canada was at Cabelas. The X Gen 2.0 or essentially the base model is $179.99 and the X-Pro or the upgraded version is $229.99.
I will also point out, I wouldn’t buy these at a regular price. They are regularly on sale for $20 or more off. For example I bought these to make my YouTube video on this topic and was able to get the X Gen 2.0 on sale for $159.99. So if you do decide to get one just watch the site for a couple weeks and you will likely find yourself a deal.
All in all these cameras are identical and perform virtually the same with 4 exceptions that the upgraded X-Pro has as far as features;
i. No-glow IR technology. If you are unfamiliar with this, the IR technology in your camera is what allows it to take pictures at night. Most cameras, and in this case the X Gen 2.0 have normal IR LEDs which do give off a signature that is detectable to some degree and has the potential to spook animals. You see this sometimes when you have a deer or something else staring directly at the camera when it takes a picture. The No-glow IR, which can be found in the X-Pro, means that the light emitted from your camera is above 940 on the nanometer spectrum and is virtually undetectable by animals, with some exceptions.
ii. Built in LCD screen. This essentially allows you to control all the settings on the camera itself whereas on the X Gen 2.0 you have to connect to the camera with WIFI and do so through the app. The benefit here being that you can change the settings on the fly a lot easier.
iii. Built in GPS. I think the benefit of this is pretty obvious, you can map your cameras and see where they are, and in the situation where your camera was to get stolen you could track down where it is. As to the accuracy of the GPS in the camera, you would have to search for more info.
iv. Setting daily picture limits. This one is not listed anywhere by Tactacam but I did manage to find one other setting in the X-Pro that I do not believe is available on the X Gen 2. With the X-Pro there is a setting that allows you to set a maximum # of pictures sent per day. Essentially you can have it either set to unlimited or you can adjust it to a number between 1 and 99. This is a feature that could prove very useful for some of you who may be using the cheaper packages that come with 250 and 500 picture limits.
That being said, if those features are something that is a must for you, then you’ll want to upgrade to the X-Pro. If they aren’t, which for most people I think is the case, then the X Gen 2.0 is more than capable of getting the job done and is also cheaper. Like I said before, outside of those 4 features they perform on par.
Now you have your camera.
Regardless of what camera you buy, the packaging and everything in the box is going to be identical. The camera, antenna, strap, manual, and SIM cards will all be in there and easy to find. The set up of the camera is also very similar and very straight forward in my opinion. They even advertise on the box that they are the easiest cell camera to set up.
One area that I have seen some confusion with revolves around what SIM card they should be using in Canada. First off, it does come with 2 SIM cards. That is something that I didn’t find immediately obvious when I was first buying one. It comes with a Verizon SIM card and an AT&T SIM card. I see a lot of people asking what card they should be using and the answer is simply, AT&T, as per Tactacam’s recommendation. While not outlined in the manual or the packaging anywhere, Tactacam’s official forum states that Canadian users should be using AT&T. I have seen some posts on the web with people claiming to be using the Verizon cards with no issues but I would err on the side of caution and just go with the manufacturer’s recommendation.
AT&T pretty well has agreements with every major cell provider in Canada. For those who are interested, the list includes;
-Bell
-Telus
-Rogers
-Wind
-Ice Wireless
-KNET
-Sasktell
-Videotron
The above map clearly outlines what AT&T claims for their coverage. Given the providers that they use, as long as your phone works, your Tactacam Reveal is likely to work as well.
As far as the rest of the setup, attach the antenna, insert the SIM card, and insert the SD card and then just follow the instructions either in the manual or the app will walk you through what you need to do as well.
When it comes to the app there are no special considerations if you live in Canada. Tactacam does have 4 different apps so you will want to make sure you download the one called Tactacam Reveal linked here > Android | iOS . There are some videos that talk about the features and how to use it so if you need help with that aspect just search for it on YouTube.
Now the plans
The prices are pretty reasonable in my opinion. One thing to consider when you are looking at their data plan options is that they are in American dollars. Below is an adjusted graphic so that you have an approximate conversion for the plans in Canadian dollars.
The best thing about these plans is that you can start and stop the plans whenever you want with no other activation fees or any hidden costs. It is pretty easy to do so you have the ability to budget yourself that way if you want.
My Experience
I personally highly recommend these cameras. I have had other cell cams in the past and they just do not compete with these things. Other cameras I had struggled to find cell signal when I had nearly full bars on my phone, but these have done very well for me. The picture quality is also fantastic and the cameras work very well. For example I use the X Gen 2.0’s and I set one up in my driveway while I was away a couple weeks ago. During the day the camera was able to pick up cars driving by the house from over 30 yards away, even when I turned the motion sensitivity all the way down to level 2.
*I am in no way associated with Tactacam at the time this article is published. These opinions and views are of my own and not influenced by any sort of compensation.
CanHunt 
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